The Ruhrstahl Ru 344 X-4 was the world’s first wire guided air-to-air missile. It was also the prototype to the Malkara, developed by the UK and later perfected for the US as the TOW missile. So a connecting wire spooled out behind the

The idea was a missile that could not be jammed, and so the wire guided method kept the controller in touch with his weapon until explosion. The flight obviously gave it extended range and once it to was launched from the outside of the bomber in jst moments it could be made to hit large slower bombers. The warhead was big enough so two dozen yards away from target was well within a kill radius that would be devastating. It was developed by Dr. Max Kramer at Ruhrstahl in June 1943.

It had a solid rocket propelled motor. It was about 6 feet long and the world’s first MCLOS missile, or Manual Command Line Of Sight, which means the operator had to see the missile while he guided it.